The origins of curry date back over 4,000 years, with references to spiced dishes in the ancient Indian subcontinent. The term "curry" itself is believed to have derived from the Tamil word kari, which means sauce or gravy.

There is evidence that the Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1300 BCE) used a variety of spices and herbs in their food, though the exact dishes are not known.

In the Vedic Period (1500-500 BCE) according to ancient Indian texts, including the Vedas, the use of spices like turmeric, cumin, and coriander are mentioned, all of which are ingredients to curry today.

The Vedas are a collection of ancient sacred texts that form the foundation of Hinduism. They are among the oldest religious texts in the world, composed in Sanskrit, and are believed to have been revealed to sages (rishis:saint) through divine insight.

This period marked the growing complexity in Indian cuisine, when curries began to take shape as spiced, flavored dishes that often combined with vegetables, grains, and meats.

Mughal Empire (1526-1857): During this time the Indian subcontinent saw the fusion of Persian, Central Asian, and Indian culinary traditions. The use of yogurt, cream, and ghee (clarified butter) in dishes became prominent, along with a sophisticated use of spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and saffron. This led to more refined curry recipes, including the Mughlai curries such as korma and dopiaza.

As the British established their occupational empire in India, they came into contact with Indian cuisine and its complex use of spices. British colonizers, unable to replicate the intricate spice blends used in Indian cooking, began to create pre-mixed spice powders (known as "curry powder") around the 18th century. This invention helped curry spread to Britain and other Western countries.

As trade routes expanded and migration patterns changed, curry spread beyond India to other parts of Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe.

In the Caribbean, curries were adapted using local ingredients, while in Southeast Asia (e.g., Thailand, Malaysia), unique versions of curry were created using coconut milk, tamarind, and lime leaves.

Indian curries became popular after World War II with the influx of Indian immigrants to England. Dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala, which is a fusion of Indian and British culinary traditions have became iconic. Tikka Masala became extremely popular in the UK, becoming a symbol of the country's love for Indian food. It has often been referred to as "Britain's national dish," due to its immense popularity across the country.

India has a vast diversity of curry dishes, often influenced by regional ingredients, climate, and cultural practices. North Indian curries focus on dairy-based gravies (like paneer butter masala), while Southern Indian curries are spicier and more coconut-based (like sambar and chettinad curry).

Countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia have their own versions of curry, using ingredients like coconut milk, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and shrimp paste to create distinct flavors.

Influenced by Indian indentured laborers who moved to the Caribbean in the 19th century, curries became an essential part of Caribbean cuisine. The use of allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers adds a unique twist to these curries.

The arrival of curry in Japan was in the Meiji Era (1868-1912) a time when Japan was opening up to the West after centuries of isolation. As part of the country's modernization efforts, Japan began to adopt Western cooking techniques and ingredients.

Curry was brought to Japan via the British Navy. The British had already embraced curry from India during the colonial era, and as Japan interacted with the British, they were introduced to curry as part of the Western-style diet. The British navy used curry to feed their sailors, and it became popular in Japan as the British influence grew.

One of the first documented instances of curry in Japan was its adoption by the Japanese navy, who began serving curry as a hearty meal for sailors. This "naval curry" became very popular in military circles, and it was integrated into civilian life.

Japanese curry has evolved into a unique style that stands apart from other curries.

Unlike other curries, which are often thinner, Japanese curry is thicker, more akin to stew. This thick consistency is achieved by using flour or cornstarch as a thickening agent, which gives it a smooth, rich texture. It's often served in a thick, gravy-like form.

While Indian and Southeast Asian curries are known for their bold, intense spiciness and complex flavors from a wide range of spices, Japanese curry is often much milder. The flavor is savory, with a wonderful subtle sweetness, and the spiciness is reserved, yet still very flavorful.

Japanese curry dishes often include ingredients such as onions, carrots, potatoes, and meat (usually chicken, pork, or beef). These vegetables are cut into chunks and simmered in the curry, making it a hearty, one-pot meal. Variations may include ingredients like apples or honey for a touch of sweetness.

Katsu curry is now one of my favorite dishes of all after a recent trip to Tokyo.

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Kare Raisu, or "curry rice," is the classic, everyday Japanese curry dish. It consists of a thick curry sauce, often made using a commercial curry roux, served over steamed white rice. The curry sauce typically includes vegetables such as onions, carrots, and potatoes, along with a protein like chicken, pork, beef, or tofu (in vegetarian versions).

See the Kare Raisu - Rice Curry Chicken Recipe here!

Katsu Curry is a popular dish that combines a breaded and deep-fried cutlet, usually made from pork (tonkatsu) or chicken, with Japanese curry and rice. The cutlet is coated in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried until crispy, then sliced and placed on top of the curry rice.

See the Katsu Curry Recipe here!

The Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder tin encases a recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation, maintaining the quality that the two founders, Merwanjee and Poonjiajee, created 145+ years ago.

Madras Curry is like many spice mixtures; there are many variations of the ingredients and proportions. Madras, (or Madrasapattinam) India, now called Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India, is on the Coromandel Coast and is the second largest port in India.

Sun Brand Madras Curry was one of the first Indian curries to be exported.

We carry Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder because many of our curry lovers tell us it is the best out there. Of course, you can make your own...but we like the very fine powder and the ease of having it in our Essential Pantry.

A yellow curry powder with a following! Try this Indian yellow curry powder brand and see what people are talking about!

Shop now for Madras Curry Powder!

With the chicken, this dish makes a wonderful entree. Made without the chicken it makes a wonderful side to roasted chicken or turkey.

See the Curried-Chicken and Vegetables Pan Roasted Recipe here!

Easy and efficient recipe. A little prep and the dish and dinner is ready in minutes!

See the Wok Curry Chicken Recipe here!

I love this stuff! I use it whenever I can in almost everything, even when it doesn't make sense to. (And it usually is a good idea not to add it).

It does work wonderfully well when added to curry chicken dishes!

And as the sun starts showing up in the daytime here in the NW, one will start to think about smoking and marinating meats....

Col Pabst All Malt Amber-Lager Worcestershire is made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is better, way better than the others. You don't have to love Worester-shire to love this!

Shop now for Col Pabst Malt Amber-Lager Worcestershire Sauce!

Ok, so it is not really a soup. I named it before it was tweaked. And if you are a chili aficionado it is not a chili either.... And the curry addition was added last minute because I was doing this newsletter.... The curry is the best addition and makes it come alive.

It is a pretty forgiving recipe.

The key to success is cooking the beans separately first. Any beans will work, though it was tested with a small bean so they are part of the bite, not THE bite.

See the Chili Baked Beans Soup Recipe here!

Pining for the days when Arnold Palmer was playing golf?

We are. Which is why we're thinking about Arnold Palmers. Not the man, nor the golf ball. Nope we're thinking about the drink.

The story goes that while playing in a tournament in the 1960s, Palmer was at a country club and ordered a drink of iced tea and lemonade. The myth continues that a woman overheard his order and requested the same drink. The combination became so popular that it was christened the "Arnold Palmer" in honor of the golf legend.

But we're mixing it up, so to speak. Our belief is that an Arnold Palmer made with unsweetened iced tea and a tablespoon (or 3) of Yuzu no Megumi syrup is the best Arnold Palmer you can have.

Keep in mind, cold water or bubbly water with a tablespoon of Yuzu no Megumi and you have a drink worth drinking, sipping, enjoying, dreaming. It all goes together. Mix it up. Stir it up and stop your pining.

Shop now for Yuzu no Megumi Syrup!

Don't want the sugar? Use this instead for your next iced tea!

The extracted juice is not sweet; instead, it is a full, vibrant flavor of citrus juice combined with the oils from the peel, making for an amazingly thick, rich flavor of yuzu.

This 100% pure Yuzu extract is made from the Yuzu grown in the Kawakami region of Yamaguchi, Japan. Registered as a national monument in 1941, Kawakami is a native habitat of yuzu.

Unlike many juice manufacturers, which crush the citrus to extract as much as possible, Kankitsu Labo finely presses from the sides to emulate hand squeezing.

The result produces a pure extract that has elements from the whole fruit, oils from the skin to the juice inside, creating a lot of yuzu flavor.

Shop now for Labo 100% Pure Cold-Pressed Yuzu Extract (Juice)!

This is one of those treats that when you don't have them you really miss them!

Life making you a little more clenching tight than you want these days? Well, there's nothing like a nice prune from France to make you feel better.

One of my favorite directors I used to work with was a relatively nervous fellow when it came to shooting on location.

He always wanted assurance when the camera stopped rolling that everything was good and the shot was in the can.

I distinctly remember shooting a humorous commercial that really looked fabulous. We were mimicking the Wendy's commercial. "Where's the beef?" with the super wide angle lens. It was fun.

When we cut, I picked my head up from the viewfinder and he looked squarely at me and asked, "How was it?" My answer was, "Good".

He immediately said, "What does that mean?"

I said, "It was good." Which is about as good as I ever said.

He went on to tell me how - I can't tell you the rest, but he was referring to things clenching pretty tight and it was my fault.

So whenever I think of prunes, I think of Otto. He always made me laugh.

And these prunes, they don't quite make me laugh, but they do make me happy. These are happy prunes.

Shop now for Favols Pitted Agen Prunes (IGP)!

Heat the oven, toss the sausage in honey, wrap the sausage and prune with bacon. Bake and eat!

See the Sausage and Prunes Wrapped in Bacon Recipe here

It's a pretty fascinating spice. It has been in foods for thousands of years, it's mentioned multiple times in the Bible, it has been used for medicinal purposes, and get this, it has been used for preserving bodies in the mummification process in Ancient Egypt. All this from a tiny, skinny seed.

Cumin (origin - Sumerian - gamun) comes from a flowering plant in the Apiaceae family, commonly known as the carrot family.

Native from the Mediterranean to India, ours comes from Morocco and the same spice "shop" in the Agora of Casablanca, where our Saffron comes from. Kept handy like salt and pepper by the ancient Greeks, it is still part of the table setting in Morocco today.

When this spice arrived at the warehouse, the shop was instantly filled with the smells of the Agora! Unlike the ground cumin that has been in a jar for who knows how long, this freshly ground Moroccan cumin was just ground by hand with a mortar and pestle! This is the way buying Moroccan spices online was meant to be. Besides, you can't beat the price of this ground cumin.

Use cumin to make your own Ras el Hanout, Garam Masala, or add it to your next lamb burger or curried cumin potatoes. If you use black pepper in a recipe, then you can switch it up with cumin.

Shop now for Ground Cumin!

This very special treat is from a hand-selected farm located in the Mountains of Apennine of Italy, that creates some of the finest Parmigiano-Reggiano we've tasted.

This Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is aged for over 28 months and is truly amazing. Place your order now to reserve your wedge, as our specially selected wheels of cheese tend to sell out quickly.

This year's cheese comes from a farm near a small village at the base of the Apennine Mountains, one of the traditional mountain cheese houses. The milk used in their cheese production comes from 15 local dairies, all located within 30 kilometers of the cheese house.

The owner of the cheese house mentions that the cows producing the milk are 50% Bruna Alpina, 50% Frisona, with a few Vacche Rossa and Montbeliarde breeds mixed in. The average lifespan of the cows is 8-10 years, a good indication that they are not pushed for maximum milk production. All of this reflects positively on the final results.

Preorder now for Parmigiano-Reggiano Winter Cheese!

Almond and hail sugar glazed Colomba (Panettone) with candied citrons and bits of chocolate.

Preorder now Flamigni Citron and Chocolate Colomba here!